Quick-winding device.



J. E. JOHNSON.

QUICK WINDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED sEPT.23. $9M.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

ATTORNEYS I JOSEPH E. JOHNSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

QUICK-WINDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed September 23, 1914. Serial No. 863,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH E. JOHNSON, a subject of the King of Sweden, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Quick-Winding Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to horology, and has particular reference to quick winding devices for clocks, watches, or other spring motor devices.

Among the objects of the invention is to improve the facilities for winding a clock or the like by means of a simple, quick draft upon a cord, wire or other similar flexible connection, the opposite end of the connection being secured to a drum, means being provided to cause the drum to wind up the main spring, and another spring being provided to return or rewind the flexible connection automatically without disturbing the ordinary action of the main spring.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a clock having my quick windin g device associated therewith; Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of the inner framework to which my quick winding device is connected; Fig. 3 is an edge view of the same looking toward the left in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical view, partly in section, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 8, this view being the reverse of that of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views showing different positions of the pawl mechanism; and Fig. 8 is a detail view of a modification of the invention.

The several parts of this device may be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more claimed.

At 10 I show the main spring of a watch, clock or other spring motor, and in this connection, as in other details, I do not wish to be unnecessarily limited as to the application of the invention. One end of this spring is connected at a fixed point 11 to a frame member 12, and the other end of the spring is secured at 13 to a main shaft 14 journaled in the frame of the motor. These parts are or may be of any usual or preferred type and constitute per 86 no part of the present invention. I show furthermore a ratchet wheel 15 secured to the shaft 14 and serving to drive a gear wheel 16 or the equivalent through one or more pawls l7 pivoted to the wheel and held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by means of a light spring 18. This ratchet wheel as thus far described operates in the usual way, but it is long enough to be provided with an additional series of ratchet teeth 19 for the accommodation of the winding devices described below. If desired, the same set of ratchet teeth may be employed for both the winding device and the pawl 17.

At 20 I show a quill or hollow arbor fixed rigidly in position in a frame member 21, and the shaft 14 may be journaled in this arbor. The primary purpose, however, for this arbor is to serve as a bearing for a winding drum 22 having a hub 23 mounted upon the arbor in the frame member 21.

At 24 I show a flexible connection of any suitable nature such, for instance, as wire, cord or the like and which, for convenience, will be hereinafter referred to as a cord. This cord is connected at one end at the bottom of a groove 25 formed in the periphery of the drum and the opposite free end of the cord projects outwardly beyond the clock mechanism as, for instance, through a guide tube 26 andv has attached to its extreme end a ring 27 or other convenient finger piece through which the cord may be drawn to unwind from the drum and cause corresponding rotation of the drum around the arbor 20.

The inner end of the arbor 2O constitutes a neck 28 upon which is fitted a peculiar form of controller 29. This member is dishfully described and like, the main portion thereof being flat and held frictionally against the shoulder at the main portion of the arbor by means of a flexible washer 30 likewise fitted over the neck 28. This controller includes a plurality of fingers 31 extending laterally from the disk portion thereof substantially parallel to the axis of the main shaft. In the preferred form of the invention each of these fingers constitutes a flat member ar ranged tangentially with respect to the circle defined by such fingers. That is to say, considering the direction of rotation of the drum for winding purposes as the forward direction and indicated by the arrows a, the rear edge of each finger is arranged at a greater radius from the axis of the shaft than the forward edge. Said rear edge, furthermore, of each finger may be beveled inwardly and forwardly, if desired. These fingers are spaced from each other circumferentially of the controller a distance ample for the movement therebetween of one or more pawls 32 pivoted at 33 to the drum 22 and having their points projecting forwardly from their pivots. Each of these pawls is acted upon in the usual manner by means of a light springv 34: which tends to force the point of the pawl inwardly and either in engagement with the fingers 31 or with the ratchet teeth 19 which lie within the plane of said fingers, as shown in Fig. 5 and indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Under normal conditions or when the winding device is not being used, each pawl 32 will bear upon one of the fingers 31, the contact being either between the point of the pawl and one of the fingers or the hilt of the pawl upon the next finger in the rear of that first mentioned, in either event the point of the pawl being held out of the path of the ratchet teeth 19 and hence not interfering in any manner with the usual reverse rotation of the ratchet wheel during the ordinary operation of the spring motor.

When the cord is drawn outwardly in the a direction, the drum 22 is correspondingly rotated around its bearing 20. The pawl controller 29 being normally held frictionally from rotation by the action of the spring washer 30, it momentarily remains at rest While the initial rotation of the drum carries the pawls 32 into the spaces between adjacent fingers 31 and into engagement with the ratchet teeth 19 directly below certain of the fingers, as shown in Fig. 6. The outer surface of the pawls will then bear upon the rear edges of the fingers and cause the pawl controller to rotate with the drum and ratchet wheel under the force applied to the cord, the friction between the pawl controller and the arbor 20 being insufficient to be appreciable under these conditions.

Any suitable means may be provided to return the drum to normal position to automatically rewind the cord thereon. For this purpose I show a spring 34 connected at one end to the frame member 21 at 35 and at its other end to the hub 23 of the drum at 36. After the cord has been drawn in the a direction and released, this spring 34 promptly returns the cord through the guide 26 into its normal nested position in the groove 25. At this time the pawls 32 will glide freely and practically noiselessly over the outer surfaces of the fingers 31, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. The inward movement of each pawl, while the drum is thus reversely rotating in the 1) direction, is comparatively slight, such movement being determined practically by the disparity in radii of the front and rear edges of the fingers. No matter, therefore, where the drum stops on its return movement, the pawls will be held by the pawl controller out of engagement with the ratchet wheel until a succeeding movement is given to the cord and drum in the a direction.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the pawl controller 29 has constant connection with the pawls 32 by means of fingers 31 extending laterally into or through the cam slots 32 formed in the pawls. The pawl controller in this instance is held normally from rotation upon the arbor 20 by means of the spring washer 30. While the controller, therefore, is momentarily held stationary by friction, the initial movement of the drum 22 in the a direction will cause the points of the pawls to be thrown inwardly toward the axis of the shaft 14 by virtue of said cam slots, causing the pawls to engage with the ratchet wheel for the purposes set forth, and thereafter the driving action of the drum and pawls will carry the pawl controller therewith, overcoming the frictional tendency of the controller to remain stationary. WVhen the drum 22 in this instance starts on its rotation in the 6 direction, the controller again momentarily remains stationary due to said friction until the cam slots cooperating with the fingers 31 act to carry the pawls outwardly and free from the ratchet wheel. The pawl controller in this form of the invention, therefore, rotates in both directions with the drum after the initial movement of the drum, as described, whereas in the preferred form of the invention the rotation of the pawl controller is confined to the a direction.

I claim:

1. The combination with a main spring and a ratchet wheel connected thereto for winding up the spring, of a drum, means connected with the drum for rotating it, a pawl carried by the drum adjacent said ratchet wheel, and a pawl controller associated with the drum, said pawl controller including a plurality of spaced fingers serving to cause the pawl to engage the ratchet Wheel when the drum is rotated in one direction and to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel at other times.

2. The combination with a frame, a main shaft, a ratchet wheel connected to the shaft, and a main spring operating between the frame and the shaft, of a fixed arbor in which the shaft is journaled, a drum journaled around the arbor, a pawl carried by the drum opposite said ratchet wheel, means to rotate the drum, and a pawl controller mounted frictionally upon said arbor, said pawl controller including devices acting positively upon the pawl to cause it either to engage the ratchet wheel or be held out of engagement therewith, depending upon the direction of rotation of the drum.

3. The combination of a main frame, a

hollow arbor fixed in the frame, a main shaft journaled in the arbor and the frame, a main spring connected to the shaft atone end, a ratchet wheel carried by the shaft, connections between the other end of the spring and the frame, a winding member journaled upon said arbor, a pawl pivotally mounted on the winding member opposite the ratchet wheel, a pawl controller frictionally mounted upon the end of the arbor adjacent the ratchet wheel, said pawl controller including a plurality of spaced fingers extending toward the main spring parallel to the axis of said shaft between the pawl and the ratchet wheel, said spaced fingers acting positively upon the pawl to cause the pawl to move either toward or from the ratchet wheel depending upon the direction of rotation of the winding member, and means to cause rotation of said winding member.

4. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a drum, a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation coaxially with the drum, a pawl carried pivotally by the drum opposite the ratchet wheel, a pawl controller mounted coaxially of the drum and ratchet wheel between the same and having a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely of the olane of the pawl and ratchet wheel, said ingers serving to cause the pawl to positively move into engagement with the ratchet wheel when the drum is rotated in one direction, said pawl controller rotating with the drum and ratchet wheel after such movement of the pawl, and means frictionally engaging the pawl controller tending to hold said controller sta tionary.

o. The combination of a stationary frame, a hollow arbor fixed in the frame and having a reduced neck portion, a shaft journailed in the arbor, a ratchet wheel carried by the shaft adjacent said neck, a drum journaled upon the main portion of the arbor, a pawl pivoted to the drum in the same plane as the ratchet wheel, a pawl controller journaled upon the neck portion of the arbor between the drum and the ratchet wheel and having a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely of said plane and between the pawl and the ratchet wheel, said fingers serving to cause the pawl to positively move toward or away from the ratchet wheel depending upon the direction of rotation of the drum, and a spring washer locked upon the neck portion of the arbor and bearing frictionally upon the pawl controller, tending to hold it stationary in connection with the arbor.

6. The combination with coaxially arranged rotary driving and driven members and an engaging member extending from one of said members to the other, of a controller for said engaging member j ournaled coaxially with said driving and driven members and including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely of the plane of said engaging member and serving to cause said engaging member to be forced positively either into or out of engagement, depending upon the direction of rotation of the driving member, and means cooperating with the controller tending to hold it stationary, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a shaft, driving and driven members mounted coaxially therewith, and an engaging member extending between the driving and driven members, of a disk-controller journaled coaxially around said shaft between the driving and driven members, said controller having a plurality of spaced fingers extending from the fiat portion thereof parallel to the axis of the shaft and between the engaging device and the member engaged thereby, means to rotate the driving member in both directions, said controller serving to cause the engaging member to be moved posi tively either toward or away from the engaged member, depending upon the direction of rotation of the driving member, and means acting upon the controller tending to hold it stationary, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with coaxially arranged driving and driven members and a pawl extending from the driving member and adapted to engage the driven member, of a pawl controller acting between the driving and driven members and including a plurality of spaced fingers acting between said pawl and the driven member and serving to cause the pawl to be moved positively either toward or from the driven member depending upon the direction of rotation of the driving member, each finger comprisspecification in the presence of two subing a flat portion arranged tangentially scribing witnesses. with respect to the circular path of movement thereof, and means acting upon the JOSEPH JOHNSON 5 controller tending to hold it stationary, sub- Witnesses:

stantially as set forth. GEO. L. BEELER,

In testimony whereof I have signed this PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

